Self and oswin weed hutchlwson



(No Model.)

0. W. WIDNEY.

SWITCH STAND.

No 319,368. Patented June 2, 1885.

WITNESSES: INVENTOE: M jbgww' Z BY M A; p

ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS. PhotnLilhngraphor. Washington 0. c.

j PATENT STATES] Fries.

CHARLES WILLIAMS WIDNEY, on WYMORE, NEBRASKA, AsSIeNon TO HIM} SELF AND OSWIN WEED HUTOHINSON, or sAME PLACE.

SWITCH-STAN D.

$PECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 319,368, dated June 2, 1885.

7 Application filed October 22, 1884. (NomodoL) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES WILLIAMS WIDNEY, of Wymore, in the county of Gage and State-of Nebraska, have invented a new 5 Improved Switch-Stand, of which the follow ing is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to promote safety and security in the adjustment of railway-switches.

The invention consists in a switch stand made with vertical notches in the top of its head-plate to receive a throw-lever pivoted to the shaft which connects to the switch-rails, which lever has a horizontally-sliding bolt entering one of a series of holes in the edge of the head-plate of the stand. The bolt is provided with notches into which a spring-pressed dog may pass for holding the bolt back or in unlocking position, and for locking theswitchrails in place when adjusted.

The invention consists, also, in particular constructions of the locking mechanism of the throw-lever and the combination thereof with the head of the switch-stand, all as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

3O Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved switch-stand, showinglthe connections to the switch-rails. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the head portion of the stand and the throw- 35 lever; and Fig. 4 is a detail side view in still larger size of the outer end of the throw-lever, with the outer lock-plate removed to show the lock mechanism.

The letter A indicates the frame or base of the switch-stand, which has bearings at a a for the upright shaft 13, which has a crank, b, at its lower end. The crank connects by a rod, 0, with the bridle-bar D, which is attached to the switch-rails E, one of which only is shown.

5 The shaft-bearing a is formed one half in the frame A and the other half in a removable cap made fast thereto to allow insertion of the shaft, which has fixed collars b b above and below the bearing at a, to give the shaft 50 Vertical support in the frame. The frame A has at its upper end the half-round head-plate F, which has a raised rib, f, provided with the center notch, f, and the two opposite side notches, f f into either of which the outer end of the throw-lever G may be set. If the 5 lever is set into the notch f the switch-rails E will line with the main-track rails 1, as in Fig. 2. If the lever rests in the notch f, the rails E will line with the turn-out rails 2 at one side of the main track, and if the lever rests in the notch f the rails E will line with the turn-out rails 3 at the other side of the main track. The throw-lever G is pivoted at g between lugs h h of the block H, which is bolted to the top of the shaft B, and the inner end of the lever has an arm or heel, G, which is braced to its main portion by the web or bracket 9. A spring, I, fixed either to the lever G or block H, or held between them in any approved way, acts to hold the outer end of the lever engaged with either of the notches f f f into which it may be adjusted. The block H has also fixed to it the staff J, which carries the target K; or it may be a suitable lantern to indicate the positions of the switchrails.

Directly below each of the notches f f 2 f and in the edge of the head-plate F, I make sockets or holes Z Z Z, respectively, into either of which the end 1 of the switch lockbolt L may pass for locking the switch-rails in either of the three positions hereinbefore indicated. The bolt L is fitted to slide horizontally in a down wardly-proj ecting lug, M, forming apart of the throw-lever G, and a spiral spring, N, connected to the bolt and pressing against a shoulder, m, of the lug M, acts to throw the bolt L outward from either of the holes Z Z Z of the head-plate F when the locking-dog O is disengaged from the bolt, as hereinafter explained. The dog 0 is placed in a recess of the lug M or lever G, and stands above and about at a right angle to the bolt L, toward which it is forced by a plate-spring, P, which is held in slots of pins p, fixed to the lever. The lower end of the dog has a shoulder at 0, which strikes a stop-lug, m, to limit the throw of the dog by the spring P; and the rear side of the lower end of the dog is rounded or beveled upward and backward, so that the end of 100 the dog will fit into an inner notch, q, of the bolt L,and allow the bolt to lift the dog against the tension of the spring B as the bolt is forced inward against the tension of spring N by a blow or pressure on its head L, to pass its head 1 into either recess f f 2 f, for bold ing the switch-rails, which then are looked in place by the entrance of the end of the dog when turned against the shouldert of the-dog 0, to lift the dog from the notch r, whereupon the spring N instantly acts to throw the bolt back until the dog is forced by the spring 1? into the notch q, and when the switch-rails are adjusted by lifting the lever G by its handle G from the notch f f 2 f, in which.

it may be resting, and swinging it around to engage another one of said notches, a blow or pressure of the hand on the head L, will carry the bolt L inward to lock the switch-rails in their new position by the re-entrance'of the dog into the notch r, as will readily be understood. The lever-lock may of course be fitted with any kind of wards and guards to allow the dog 0 to be raised only by a key of special construction.

It will be seen that the switch-rails E may be locked in either of the three positions indicated by pressing inward on the bolt L, and can be unlocked only by the use of a key, and when the bolt L is locked to the head-plate F in either position of the switch-rails neither the rails nor the bolt can be jarred out of place, the rails being securely locked against dis-,

of the switch- 1. A switch-stand constructed with aheadplate, F, having upper notches to receive the throw-lever G, which is pivoted to a block fixed to the shaft B, which connects to the "switch-1 ails, and a spring, I, acting behind the heel G of the lever to hold it down into said notches, substantially as shown and described.

2. A switch-stand constructed with ahead- I plate, F, having upper notches to receive a throw-lever, G, which is pivoted to a block fixed to the shaft 13, connected to the switchrails, and enters one of said notches, in combination with a horizontally-sliding bolt, L, entering one of a series of holes in the edge of the head-plate F, substantially as herein set forth.

3. A switch-stand constructed with a headplate, F, having upper notches. to receive a throw-lever, G, which is pivoted to a block fixed to the shaft 13, connected to the switchrails, and a horizontally-sliding bolt, L, held in the lever and entering one of a series of holes in the edge of the plate F, andsaid bolt L having notches q r,-in combination with the spring-pressed dog 0 and means for raising the dog from the notch r, substantially-as herein set forth.

4. The combination, with the head-plate F, i

having a series of upper notches and corresponding edge-holes, of the lever G, having pivotal connection with the shaft 13, which is connected to the switch-rails, and said lever having a slide-bolt, L, notched at q r and pressed outward by a spring, N, and the dog 0, having an end shaped to enter the notch q and escape therefrom as the bolt is forced inward, the spring 1, and means for raising the dog 0 from the bolt-notch r, substantially as herein set forth.

5. The combination,with the pivoted switchoperating lever G and the bolt L, fitted to slide horizontally in the said lever G, and notched at q r, substantially as specified, of the dog 0, pressed into the notches by the spring 1?, and provided with a shoulder, as at t, substantially as herein set forth.

CHARLES WILLIAMS WIDNEY.

Witnesses:

HENRY A. GIVEN, T. D. OoBBEY. 

